Coulthard. Past his prime?

[liquidyellow]

OK I was wondering what everyone thinks on this forum. Do you you think Coulthard is going to clinch a world championship someday?
Personally I think he has the talent and I think of all the drivers he deserves it the most but now I think time is running out for him. What do all you think?

 

[vat_man]

I'm pretty confident he won't win a world championship.

I don't think he's past his prime - he's driving about the same as ever. How many blond, mono-syllabic Finns have to blow him away before he goes?

Be interesting to see where he ends up next year.

 

[Mike Rotch]

i agree. He is too playboy, and not enough racer to be a serious contender, even in a mclaren

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I think he does the job, but he's simply not good enough to overcome the natural hurdles that will occur during a championship season. He's fast on his day, but not sufficiently robust or consistent.

 

[Roo]

Coulthard - modern day Stirling Moss? David is a great racer, but he isn't any good at single lap qualifing.

 

[-Fred-]

He was past his prime back in 1994...

 

[Mike Rotch]

i remember that year at adelaide ( i think - well somewhere in Aus) when he drove into the pit entrance wall in a williams on his way to a pit stop. what a gerkin

 

[miniMADness]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
what a gerkin

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by miniMADness

gerkin = vegetable

vegetable = one clown short of a circus

one clown short of a circus = not champion material

not champion material = coulthard

 

[miniMADness]

ha ha, true

 

[quicksilver1122]

Coulthard is a good driver but like Giles said, He has his days, but he just isn't consistant enough.

 

[liquidyellow]

When he arrived in F1 1994 I thought 'yeh this guy has champion potential' but after 10 seasons and at least 5 in a championship winning car I dont think he will do it he seems stale at McLaren.

 

[wee_man]

Yep. I think he's over the hill. Me and my dad have said it for the last season now. But that's just us.

 

[kristof]

He'll probably retire from F1 after next season. I'd still like to see him race though be it in sportscars or touring cars.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by liquidyellow
When he arrived in F1 1994 I thought 'yeh this guy has champion potential' but after 10 seasons and at least 5 in a championship winning car I dont think he will do it he seems stale at McLaren.

remember that time he was leading the italian GP on the warmup lap and put it in the gravel at ascari?. Man was that a hoot

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
remember that time he was leading the italian GP on the warmup lap and put it in the gravel at ascari?. Man was that a hoot

I remember Alain Prost doing that at Imola in the pouring rain in a Ferrari in 1991, so he's in pretty decent company there.

As I recall, the race you refer to was red-flagged and Coulthard was able to restart, but broke down not far into the race. 1995, wasn't it?

 

[Bollocks#999]

Hate to say it, but DC will never win a championship, if he was going to win one he wouldve already done it by now

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by vat_man
I remember Alain Prost doing that at Imola in the pouring rain in a Ferrari in 1991, so he's in pretty decent company there.

As I recall, the race you refer to was red-flagged and Coulthard was able to restart, but broke down not far into the race. 1995, wasn't it?

yea, it was redflagged so he got away with it

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
yea, it was redflagged so he got away with it

Wow, Mike - what'd he do? Run over your dog?

He's a guy that just never really lived up to his promise. Like Gerhard Berger, except without the silly grin and practical jokes.

 

[Rue]

Sorry, did DC ever have a 'prime'? I always said he would never make it, and he never did. Of course he still has one more year to prove me completely wrong and make me look like a proper turnip

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Well he did win the BRDC/McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year, which takes some doing.

He had promise, but he didn't live up to it.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by vat_man
Wow, Mike - what'd he do? Run over your dog?

He's a guy that just never really lived up to his promise. Like Gerhard Berger, except without the silly grin and practical jokes.

I just cant stand playboy types like him and eddie "the unsteady" irvine. they are more interested in which model they can get laid then winning races. Berger was more of a gentleman then DC, and never had the same quality of car under him as DC does now.

 

[Small_Fryz]

DC had the potential but his just like alex criville (500cc) he was in mikka shadow just as crivelle was in doohans if it wasnt for mikka i think david would of had a couple of championships but thats just the way it paned out

 

[Mike Rotch]

I think he did very well this weekend. I mean it takes at least 3 brain cells to drive around on slicks when it is pouring, doesnt it?

 

[TurboSmoke]

Originally posted by GilesGuthrie
I think he does the job, but he's simply not good enough to overcome the natural hurdles that will occur during a championship season. He's fast on his day, but not sufficiently robust or consistent.

agreed...if he was consistent i think he would be third behind M Schumacher and Raikkonen....

but he is not consistet....thast his problem...on a good day he is good but he has too many bad days and technical troubles...

he lives the jet-set lifestyle of the playboy living in Monaco....he is quite happy...he's very rich, his girl is a model...what more does a guy need...

the formula one guys are too good for him...perhaps he should try the american indy circuit instead....life at a slower, less intense pace...

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by TurboSmoke


perhaps he should try the american indy circuit instead....life at a slower, less intense pace...

Or soap box car racing in austria. i may be able to crack a victory there

 

[TurboSmoke]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
Or soap box car racing in austria. i may be able to crack a victory there

yea...but you'll still be second....behind me in my soap box..!!

 

[quicksilver1122]

I have a feeling he will retire at the end of his contract with McLaren. Unless he can somehow improve and adjust to the 1 lap qualifying.

"Get out while he still has something to hold on to"

DC was my favorite driver and I still have respect for him. If you look at the past seasons without the 1 lap qualifying, he was still a major contender.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

(wow, two great quotes in a post. I'm on a role)

 

[RacyBacy]

... Seemed to do not to bad in the Mangy-Cours qualifying today (3rd). Come on DC! Out qualified Räikkönen too.

 

[Eagle]

Thread from the dead! Why does this happen so much lately?

Malaysia 2004: Mark webber qualifies 2nd - what happens next?
Spain 2004: Juan Pablo Montoya qualifies 2nd - what happens next?
Europe 2004: Takuma Sato qualifies 2nd - what happens next?

I'm not saying the new car doesn't have promising pace nor Coulthard sufficient skill as a driver, but I also don't see the qualifying result as meaning much. Raikkonen has done moderately well at times only to be let down in the race. We'll have to wait and see. I personally feel Coulthard's heart hasn't been in it since the move to the new qualifying format, I don't know if he's particularly stubborn or slow to adapt or what but it certainly hasn't helped him.